It wasn't the ending the Rio Hondo College women's soccer team was hoping for, but head coach Jennifer Tanaka can definitely be proud of her squad's historic season after the Roadrunners finished in second place at the CCCAA Soccer State Championship over the weekend.
Rio Hondo suffered a 3-0 loss to Cerritos College in the State Championship final on Sunday at De Anza College in Cupertino to close out the 2015 season with an impressive 17-2-4 overall record. Cerritos won its fourth consecutive state championship despite being outshot 13-12 by the Roadrunners in the final. Cerritos got an early goal in the fifth minute and was up 2-0 at halftime.
Rio Hondo reached the championship match after its 3-0 win over Modesto Junior College in the state semifinals on Friday. Sophomore Andrea Sanchez provided the offense for the Roadrunners, scoring all three goals for the hat trick while sophomore Christina Holguin had three saves to post Rio Hondo's 11th shutout of the season.
"We had a great season," said Tanaka. "Our coaching staff of Will Lopez, Armando Gutierrez, Amanda Krukow, Nancy Gandarilla , Erika Garay and Marco Lopez did a fantastic job teaching the game to these players."
"We peaked at the right time," she added. "Just before the playoffs, we were playing our best soccer of the year. I just feel lucky to have been able to experience this season with this team. The last game didn't go our way but we'll get back to work in spring and keep doing what we've been doing here for the past eight years, helping players transfer and further their education. If we can get back to the big game, you can be sure we'll be in it to win it."
Tanaka led the Roadrunners to the State Championships for the first time in school history while Rio Hondo captured a second consecutive Foothill Conference championship and reached the postseason for the second straight season. Rio Hondo also closed out the season ranked No. 8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Junior College Division III Final National Rankings.
